UMBRELLA TRAINING ANNOUNCES INTERNAL COO APPOINTMENT

Jo Simovic - Chief Operating Officer

Training and apprenticeship provider to the UK's hospitality sector, Umbrella Training, has promoted
Jo Simovic to the post of Chief Operating Officer.

Formerly director of excellence, Simovic will assume her new role overseeing operations and quality at Umbrella Training and sister company, Elite Hospitality Assessment Professionals (EHAP), later this month. She will assist Umbrella Training founder and chief executive with managing and shaping the strategic future direction of both businesses.

Simovic has a background in management consulting and creating bespoke learning and development solutions with high organisational ROI. She previously held senior positions at The Learning Academy and Stanford Management Processes.

Umbrella Training’s executive team also comprises of non-executive director Jamal Bentaleb and business relations director Sam Coulstock, with plans to bring in further expertise in 2020 to support the company’s business agenda and governance.Discussing the appointment, Oxberry said: "We are at a crucial point in our growth and know that, in order to continue with our development, we need to invest in our people and processes."

"Our growth to date has been completely organic. This has been primarily down to the belief we have in offering meaningful and collaborative apprenticeship programmes. We know that, as we grow, we need to ensure that these values remain throughout everything that we do. This is a key reason behind Jo’s promotion."

Simovic added: "I am delighted to take on this role. Ever since I joined the business, the unwavering desire to work collaboratively to achieve results is what has spurred me on. We have a fantastic business model; my job is to ensure that we continue to grow and maintain the values which has made our business what it is today."